The contents of this page are a result of Mr. Robert C. Staggs'
efforts, see his story below about witnessing the aftermath of the
crash. His most recent efforts have resulted in a
map
, dated from around 1917, showing the crash site. Newer maps no
longer show Randado, Texas. He has added details to the map showing
Departure, Crash Site, Destination,
and a photo of the type of plane, BT-13, Bonnie Jean was flying at
the time of the crash.

There is also information below from Becky Rosenfelder, a niece
of Bonnie Welz.

Date: Sun, 20 Oct 1996 07:00:12 -0700

From: "Robert C. Staggs"

To: cahailey@nettap.com

Subject: An Aviatrix from WWII

I have just discovered your web page and I was moved by it! How
proud you must be of your mom. Your presentation shows genuine feeling
for not only your mom, but for all of the women who were there and
achieved what they did. Imagine what it must have been like in those
days for a woman (called "girls" then) from a farm in Iowa or a small
town in Ohio to venture into a male-dominated, high-tech world where
women were expected to be house wives or secretaries -- and to be able
to gain a patriotic self-esteem rivaled only by Rosie the Riveter and
only a few others.

I was a kid of about 10 in those days and I had an experience that
had a profound effect on me and I still think about it. It was perhaps
early in 1944 or late 1943, and we were living in a remote area in the
mesquite brush country near Laredo, Texas. My brother, who was much
older than me (he went into the navy in 1944) lived a few miles away
with his wife and small son. One day an AT-6 approached his house and
began circling as though the pilot was looking for something. My
brother could tell that the airplane's engine didn't sound right, and
then he realized that the pilot was looking for a place to have an
emergency landing. Because there were many oilfields in the area, there
were several landing strips for the oil company airplanes. Apparently
the pilot knew this and was looking for one as well as a clearing in
the brush suitable for a landing. My brother watched as the airplane
came down and disappeared behind some mesquite trees. There was an
explosion and then fire and smoke. My brother quickly got into his
truck and drove through the prickly pear cactus and drove up to the fire
as close as he thought was safe. He realized that there was no way that
the airplane could be entered - it was upside down and completely
engulfed in flames. He decided to look around in case anyone had been
thrown clear. Sure enough, he soon found a man who was wandering around
in a dazed state of shock. My brother couldn't make out what the man
was saying, except he heard the words "she" and "her" as the man
pointed into the flames.

The next day, after my brother had taken the man (who was a captain
or major) to the Laredo hospital in very serious condition, I went to
my brother's house with my parents. About the time that we got to his
house, a large air force truck carrying some burnt aircraft wreckage
drove up. My sister-in-law had been providing the men with coffee and
refreshments, and the men stopped by for one last time. One of the men
carried a rather small fabric bag which contained the remains of the
pilot. He transferred the bag from the truck to a car (it could have
been a military ambulance) that had been waiting at the house. The
faces of these men were extremely grim. One of them said that the
pilot's flying cap disintegrated as they were placing the remains into
the bag exposing long red hair that was completely un-scorched. After I
heard this, I was never quite the same.

The woman was flying a VIP from Harlingen Air Base to Laredo Air
Base (or vice-versa) when the airplane's engine began to have problems.
The passenger was in the back seat. The pilot circled around until a
clearing was found. For some reason, the pilot chose to land with the
landing gear down. It was apparently a good landing, except that one of
the wheels apparently had fell into a gopher hole causing the airplane
to flip over. The canopies were open. The passenger's seat harness was
apparently unfastened and he was thrown clear as the plane flipped. The
pilot apparently died before she could release her harness which had
been fastened.

I've always wanted to know her name. I don't exactly know why,
except that I know that she must be remembered. Perhaps in your
research you have seen accident reports or other details, orally or
written, of such events. I would appreciate any information that you
may have.

Congratulations on such a wonderful web page. I think that you
should write a book.

Regards,

Bob Staggs

As a result of this letter, referring to On Final Approach by Byrd
Howell Granger, and additional correspondence with Mr. Staggs, we
determined that the female pilot was
Bonnie Jean Welz
and that she was flying a BT-13. Mr. Staggs also added,
The important thing here is the fact that the BT-13 had fixed
landing gear and this explains why Bonnie had her gear down when she
landed.

Upon graduation from basic flight training,
class 43-6
, Bonnie was assigned to Dodge Army Air Base in Kansas. From there she
was assigned to Harlingen Army Air Field in Texas, her final duty
station. There are more details available from the
accident report.

The following was provided by Bonnie's niece, Becky Rosenfelder, on
March 14, 1999.

Yesterday I attended a presentation at the Museum of Flight in
Seattle by five former WASPs. During their talks with the audience I
learned of the Texas Woman's University and their efforts to archive
information about the WASPs. I decided last night to see if they had a
website and subsequently was directed to one of yours. I was completely
taken by surprise when I read an account of my Aunt Bonnie Jean's death
written by Mr. Staggs. My mother's family was one that was torn apart
by the war - Bonnie Jean went into the Women's Airforce Service Pilots,
her brothers into various branches of the service and my mother to
Hawaii with her new husband, who worked on the docks at Pearl Harbor
(another story altogether). Their father was killed when they were
young and their mother was already estranged from her grown children.
When Bonnie Jean was killed, the family members were informed, but her
story was lost. My mother, Bettie, died two months ago not knowing the
circumstances of Bonnie's death. I was very moved by Mr. Staggs' story
and his concern that "she must be remembered". Of course we remember
her in our own way, but it was always incomplete. Your website offered
another piece to the puzzle.

I noticed that you do not include her maiden name. It was Alloway.
And to my knowledge she was born in Kettle Falls, WA, as was my mother
and her other sisters (her brothers were from another marriage, last
name Minor.)

As soon as I send this e-mail to you I am going to call my sister,
Bonnie Jo, who was born the year after our aunt died and tell her what
I have found. I am so grateful that all of these incredibly adventurous
and brave women are being remembered and honored.

Thank you. Sincerely, Becky Rosenfelder

This is the first of many other stories from someone who knew of
the Women Airforce Service Pilots. Thank you Mr. Staggs for
allowing me to make this available to share with others.